Exam #3: CH 11 (Aggression)

Aggression

behavior intended to harm another person; intent

Types of aggression

proactive aggression and reactive aggression

Proactive aggression

aggressive behavior whereby harm is inflicted as a means to a desired end (personal gain, attention, self-defense)

Example of proactive aggression

a hitman, or a boxer in round 1

Reactive aggression

aggressive behavior where the means and the end coincide; aggression for its own sake

Example of reactive aggression

feeling revenge or jealousy, or a boxer in later rounds

Evolutionary aggression: survival of genes

successful aggression gained the male a mate, those aggressive gene then got passed on to the next generations

Why are men more aggressive than women?

Males compete to mate with attractive, healthy women. More aggressive males get to mate, passing on "aggressive" genes

Biological influences on aggression: Testosterone

positively correlated with aggressive behaviors (sex differences)

Biological influences on aggression: Serotonin

low levels lead to aggression

Social learning theory (Bandura, 1977)

Behavior is learned through observing others, not just direst experience of cost and benefits

Bandura et al. (1961) Bobo Doll study: Results

1) Non-aggressive adult models -> no aggression in kids

2) Aggressive adult models -> aggressive kids

3) Aggression is more socially acceptable for males than for females

Socialization and gender differences with aggression

1) Telling boys "don't be a whimp"

2) Telling girls "act like a lady"

3) Men are more violently aggressive

4) Women are more relationally aggressive

Frustration-aggression hypothesis (John Dollard, 1939)

1) Frustration due to interruption of a person's progress toward a goal will ALWAYS cause a person to become aggressive

2) ALL aggression is caused by frustration

Barker, Dembo, & Lewin (1941) toy study

1) Waiting for toys -> violent with toys

2) The closer you are to the goal when interrupted, the more likely you are to be aggressive

3) In adults: more aggression when someone cuts in line when you are 2nd than 12th in line

Frustration-aggression critique

frustration does not always cause aggression, and not all aggression comes from frustration

Negative Affect: (Berkowitz, 1993)

negative affect is what causes aggression, and frustration is just one negative affect

What factors, while more likely with men, cause aggression?

1) pain, disgusting odors, air pollution

2) heat: higher crime rates in the summer

3) provocation: insults

Temperature and Aggression: In the summer, there is an increase in...

1) Uprisings

2) Family disturbances

3) Rapes

4) Assaults

Cognitive Neoassociation Analysis (Anderson et al., 1996)

1) Input variables: aversive experiences, situation cues, and individual differences

2) Affect, arousal, and cognition

3) Higher-order thinking (controlled processing)

4) Aggressive behaviors

Input variables: examples

1) Aversive experiences: frustration, heat

2) Situation cues: guns, video games

3) Individual differences: gender, empathy

Higher-order thinking (controlled processes): examples

- Positive interpretation of motivation (+)

- Alcohol (-)

Controlled Processes

used to overcome the influence of affect and automatic cognition

Cognitive Neo-association Analysis (Anderson et al., 1996): Cognition

presence of aggressive stimuli, like weapons, can increase aggression through automatic activation of aggression-related thoughts

Controlling aggression is elicited by:

1) Costs: no aggression to authority

2) Mitigating information: inferring no intent to provoke

3) Personal beliefs: nonviolence